In his celebrated work, "To A Mouse", the brilliant Scottish poet, Robert Burns, captured a timeless truth when he wrote,
"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!"
Given a narrative of plans gone awry and grief found where joy was promised, my keen suspicion is that Burns' mouse simply suffered for want of a better strategist.
Strategy challenges us to acknowledge that the quality, utility, and value of an answer is dependent almost entirely upon the question being asked. I love strategy.
I excel at formulating and pursuing questions -- often hearing that "no one has asked that question before" -- to uncover and develop insights that empower Owners, Directors, and Executive Leaders to chart a wise future for their enterprises.
After the analysis and planning, I remain at work to ensure fidelity to the strategy during implementation. Written strategic plans typically communicate what to do and why, but fall short by nature of what is really needed: counsel on how to do it.
Rather than risk Robert Burns' grief and pain, I offer strategic and creative direction, project management, and a hand-cultivated portfolio of talented, reliable professionals to keep the strategy on track to fulfill its promise. I don't just do the gap analysis; I prepare to bridge gaps -- whether those needs relate to function, skill, capacity, or some fluid combination.
Principal
Patrick W. Carroll | Consulting
October 2004 – Present (19 years 7 months), Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area
My experience in strategy, branding, and marketing extends to sectors that include Health & Beauty, Luxury Consumer Goods, Sports & Entertainment, Nonprofit, Contract Research, Fleet Transportation, Telecom, and Industrial Manufacturing.
Project portfolio and references are currently available by request.
Development Consultant
Constituency Development & Fundraising - Higher Education & Nonprofit
June 2000 – October 2012 (12 years 5 months), Raleigh, North Carolina
Relationship-building and management in service of mission-based organizations, primarily the College of Humanities & Social Sciences at North Carolina State University and Communities In Schools of Wake County.
Large Corporate Banking - Global Brands
December 1992 – March 1997 (4 years 4 months), Los Angeles, California
Managed relationships with large corporate clients in the entertainment, media, telecom, and gaming sectors, primarily for Bank of America.
Clients included MGM Grand Mirage, Major League Baseball, The Tribune Company, Universal Studios Theme Parks, Dish Network, Foxwoods Casino Resort, Delaware North Company (Boston Garden, Boston Bruins, Yosemite National Park, et al), Circus Circus Enterprises, Gannett Company, A.H. Belo (Dallas Morning News, broadcast radio group), Rio Hotel & Casino, and Station Casinos.
Competed successfully for Lead Agent role with the vast majority of portfolio to design and globally-syndicate deals with 10-30+ participating institutions. Expertise included financial and industry analysis; financial projections and modeling; negotiation and structuring of credit facilities and deal terms; management of complex group communications; extensive legal documentation; crisis management, communications, and negotiations.
Mid-Market Commercial Banking - Regional Brands
June 1990 – October 1992 (2 years 5 months), Baltimore, Maryland
Financial and credit analysis, and relationship management with medium-sized businesses (i.e., annual revenues of $10MM+) in the super-regional Baltimore, MD-Washington, DC corridor, primarily for Maryland National Bank.
Clients included construction and infrastructure contractors, commercial real estate ventures, wholesalers, distributors, auto dealerships, nonprofits, healthcare, and small-to-medium-sized manufacturers.
Master of Public Administration (MPA) - School of Public & International Affairs (SPIA) in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHASS)
Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Finance Concentration - College of Business & Economics
Minor in English Literature - College of Arts & Sciences
My career has required a continual balancing act among analytical substance -- "delivering the goods" -- grit, and style. Personal agility extends to daily cat-herding and frequent diving through hoops of flame.
Philosophically, I think that Benjamin Franklin was wise, Sun Tzu more wise, and the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, wiser still when he prophesied, "Character is Destiny."
You don't get anything different at the end of the journey than what you got along the journey itself. Enjoy the ride!
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